Historical facts for local football rivalries

A rundown of the best local gridiron grudge matches

Posted
Monday, July 17, 2017 3:08 pm

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Stipulations for a rivalry to be included:

The two teams must have played five games: This leaves out budding rivalries such as Milton vs. Cambridge, but in the grand scheme of things, these rivalries are only geographical, so far. It’s too early to tell whether the two teams will truly have a history of smash-mouth, close games ahead. For example, Milton went 13-3 against Roswell when the series first started in 1950. But given 46 more games, the series record between the teams is much closer.

The rivalry must be current: There are plenty of rivalries that have fallen by the wayside with changes to school’s classifications or regions. Though these are great to look back on, but the focus of this list is those longstanding rivalries that will be renewed in the 2017 season.

No team can have won over 75 percent of games in the series: It may still be a rivalry, but any team that can win three out of every four games clearly has the upper hand.

The rivalry must have had at least three games decided by one score or less: A foundation of a good rivalry is close games. The games where your team should have won, but ended up losing on a last-second Hail Mary or a missed field goal as time expired adds fuel to any good rivalry. This leaves out such rivalries as the “Civil War” between North and South Forsyth who have played 19 times, but only two games have been decided by a single score.

NORTH FULTON/FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Football season is just one month away. A month until the sounds of pep bands, house announcers, cheers and the crunch of helmets on pads fill Friday nights. And you can be sure that players, coaches and fans are looking forward to adding another chapter to their teams’ long-standing rivalries.

And any good rivalry always has history behind it. Compiled below is a list of stats from some of the best and most historic rivalries in North Fulton and Forsyth County.

Alpharetta vs. Milton

Though Milton has the upper-hand in this series, winning eight of 11 games played, it has been far from domination on the field. Of the 11 games played, eight have been decided by one score, including the last seven contests. Milton squeaked away with a win in 2016 after Alpharetta’s potential game-winning field goal fell just short in the final seconds.

The first six meetings of the teams were region games, but starting in 2012, the crosstown rivals no longer played as region rivals.

This year’s contest will feature a new coach in the mix as Adam Clack takes over at Milton. Clack was 0-2 against Alpharetta as head coach of West Forsyth.

Alpharetta head coach Jacob Nichols is 1-2 against Milton.

STATS:

Years series has been played: 2006-current

Series record: Milton 8-3

Number of region games in series: 6 (last in 2011)

Last meeting: Aug. 19, 2016 (Milton 14, Alpharetta 12)

Longest winning streak: Milton (2007-10)

Number of games decided by one score: 8

Largest margin of victory: Milton 42, Alpharetta 13 (2008)

Closest margin of victory: Alpharetta 20, Milton 19 (2011)

Head coach with best record in series: Howie DeCristofaro, Milton (4-2)

Centennial vs. Alpharetta

Just two years after Alpharetta’s inaugural season, the Raiders and Centennial, only seven miles away, met for the first time. Since then, the Raiders and Knights have met every year and have remained in the same region through multiple realignments.

After the teams exchanged wins over the first four meetings, Alpharetta put together a string of five straight wins between 2010-14. But since then, the Knights have won two narrow victories.

Last season saw the first overtime game in the series. Centennial pulled ahead with a touchdown, but Alpharetta quickly responded. However, the Raiders sought to end the game with a 2-point conversion. The conversion attempt failed, allowing Centennial to escape with a 31-30 win.

STATS:

Years series has been played: (2006-current)

Series record: Alpharetta 7-4

Number of region games in series: 11 (current)

Last meeting: Sept. 9, 2016 (Centennial 31, Alpharetta 30 OT)

Longest winning streak: Alpharetta (2010-14)

Number of games decided by one score: 5

Largest margin of victory: Alpharetta 39, Centennial 0 (2014)

Closest margin of victory: Centennial 31, Alpharetta 30 OT (2016)

Head coach with best record in series: Jason Dukes, Alpharetta (4-1)

Alpharetta vs. Johns Creek

Johns Creek and Alpharetta are still in the relatively early stages of the rivalry, but in five years it is shaping up to be an exciting series.

All five of the contests between the teams has been in region play, with Alpharetta holding a 3-2 lead in the series. All but one game has been decided by a single score.

The 2016 meeting was another close contest as Johns Creek held on for a win with Alpharetta threatening on a fourth-down play inside the Gladiators’ 10-yard line with less than 20 seconds remaining.

Johns Creek has won the past two meetings between the teams by a combined nine points.

Head coach with best record in series: Matt Kemper, Johns Creek (2-0), Jason Dukes, Alpharetta (2-0)

Blessed Trinity vs. St. Pius X

St. Pius X dominated Blessed Trinity in the first five meetings of the series as the Titans program was in its infancy. Since then, the tables have turned and BT has had the upper hand, winning the last four contests.

Blessed Trinity narrowly avoided an end to their winning streak in the series last year, having to come back in the final minutes of the game to take a 22-18 win.

STATS:

Years series has been played: 2002-05, 2012-current

Series record: St. Pius X 5-4

Number of region games in series: 2 (2012-13)

Last meeting: Aug. 19, 2016 (Blessed Trinity 22, St. Pius X 18)

Longest winning streak: St. Pius X (2002-05, 2012)

Number of games decided by one score: 3

Largest margin of victory: St. Pius X 33, Blessed Trinity 2 (2002)

Closest margin of victory: Blessed Trinity 21, St. Pius X 20 (2013)

Head coach with best record in series: Tim McFarlin, Blessed Trinity (4-1)

Blessed Trinity vs. Westminster

After facing off 12 straight seasons, BT and Westminster will renew their rivalry this season. A longstanding rivalry for the Titans in all sports, Westminster holds a 7-6 lead in the football series.

The last contest was bitter for Blessed Trinity as Westminster erased a 14-point deficit in the final seven minutes to force overtime, eventually winning with a touchdown and recovery of a BT fumble.

Head coach with best record in series: Tim McFarlin, Blessed Trinity (5-1)

Centennial vs. Chattahoochee

Just six miles separate these two schools which have met 15 times since 1998. The series has been filled with win streaks, with Chattahoochee winning the first four contests, followed immediately by four wins from Centennial. The Knights have won the last three contests.

Centennial’s new coach Michael Perry, a former Gainesville offensive coordinator, is the newest head coach to the series. Chattahoochee’s Vince Strine is 0-3 against the Knights.

Head coach with best record in series (min. three games): Bill Waters, Chattahoochee (4-2)

Centennial vs. Northview

There haven’t been many close games between Centennial and Northview, but with nine games of their series being region games, as well as the close proximity of the schools, the rivalry still serves as one of the longest-standing in North Fulton.

After Centennial dominated the early stages of the rivalry, winning six of the first seven contests, Northview has cut into that domination by winning two of the last three years.

STATS:

Years series has been played: 2002-11, 2014-current

Series record: Centennial 9-4

Number of region games in series: 9 (current)

Last meeting: Oct. 7, 2016 (Centennial 49, Northview 14)

Longest winning streak: Centennial (2002-04), (2006-08)

Number of games decided by one score: 4

Largest margin of victory: Centennial 49, Northview 7

Closest margin of victory: Centennial 36, Northview 35 (2011)

Head coach with best record in series: Jeff Measor, Centennial (4-1)

Chattahoochee vs. Johns Creek

The cross-town and region rivalry of Chattahoochee and Johns Creek will enter its eighth year this season. After winning four of the first five games of the series, Chattahoochee has fallen to the Gladiators the past two seasons.

First-year Johns Creek head coach Matt Helmerich enters the series after taking over for Matt Kemper, who went 2-0 against Hooch. Vince Strine is 1-2 against the Gladiators.

Head coach with best record in series (min. three games): Terry Crowder, Chattahoochee (2-1)

Forsyth Central vs. North Forsyth

Forsyth Central and North Forsyth will face off for the 16th time this season. Central won four of the first five meetings of the two teams in the late 1990s as North’s program was getting off the ground, but since then, North has won eight of last 10.

The two teams met in region play for the first time in nine years last season with North taking a 28-15 win.

Head coach with best record in series (min. three games): Todd Winter, Pinecrest Academy (2-1)

Roswell vs. Milton

No other rivalry in North Fulton/Forsyth County can compare to the length, history and arguably, the sheer amount of “love to hate” sentiment between Roswell and Milton.

The two teams will face off for the 52nd time this September, making the rivalry one of the most contested in the history of high school football in the state.

After 12 years of the matchup being a region battle from 2004-15, the 2016 realignment has forced this game to the non-region schedule of each team, the fourth time in the series.

This year’s contest will feature a new head coach on each sideline – Adam Clack for Milton and Matt Kemper of Roswell – for just the second time in the series. Roswell’s Charlie Horne and Milton’s Mike Anderson were the last dual first-year head coaches to face off in the series in 1970, a 41-6 win for Roswell.

Though Milton and Roswell both have longstanding coaches in the rivalry, including a now amazing 24-year stint for Roswell’s Ray Manus, one of the more recent coaches has the best overall record in the series— Tim McFarlin’s 7-1 record from 2000-07.